Voting-machine.



No. 687,558. VPatented Nov. 26, |901.

. D. 8f. E. H. DAVIS.

VOTING MACHINE.

(Applcton filed June 2B, 1900.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet l.

I WITNESSES: INVENTORS M www Mmmmw M, g, I' 1 'BY L.' L Mm ATTQRNEY we: Nnnms mns co, wow-uma.. wAsmNoToN. n c.

No.`687,558. -Patented Nov. 26, |90l. D. & E. H. lDAVIS. VOTING MACHINE.

(Application filed June 26, 1900.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 2` (No Model.)

Yigg. E.

Yuxin iNVENTORS MQW. m Q. R .3@

WITNESSES:

THE Norms PETERS co.. mmm-umn., wAsHwnToN. D c

No. 687,558. Patented Nov. 26, l90l. D. & E. H. uAvls.

VOTING MACHINE. Ap1icecion mea June 2e, 1900.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

No. 687,558.' Patented NOV. 26, I90I.

D. & E. H. DAVIS.

VOTING MACHINE.

(Application led June 2G, 1900.)`

ATTORNEY THE Nonms Pneus co, FHOTQALITHQ., wAsmNoroN. D. c.

'UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

I'jANIEL DAVIs ANDn'rNA II. pAvIs, or ELMIRA, NEW VORII, AssIGNons To DAVIs VOTING MACHINE COMPANY, or ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

VOTlNGi-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters 'Patent No. 687,558, dated. November- .e'e, IeoI. Applies@ Aiea June 26,1900. serial No. 2156erl N0 nitriet T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, DANIEL DAVIS and ETNA H. DAVIS, citizens of the United States, residing at Elmira, in the county of Chem ung and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Voting-Machines, of which the followingis a specification.

Our present invention relates to improvements in the type of voting-machines-described in our prior Letters Patent, No. 563,141, granted June 30, 1896, in which a series of mechanisms adapted to be operated by the voter in castinghis vote are combined With a corresponding series of vote-registering devices, together with locking and resetting devices, to insure an accurate and proper registering of the votes as they are cast.

The objects of our improvements are, first, to improve and simplify the construction of the voting mechanisms; second, to provide improved means for voting a straight or split ticket, as may be desired; third, to so construct the vote-registering devices and combine them with the voting mechanisms that the Vote of each individual voter shall not be recorded until he has finally set the machine to his satisfaction; fourth, to provide a simple mechanism for locking out certain ofthe Voting mechanisms when Women are privileged to vote for certain candidates; fth, to provide improved means for registering irregular votes-that.is to say, votes for persons not on any of the regular tickets; sixth, to provide, in combination with our Votingmachine, an im provedbooth with connections between the door thereofand the voting mechanism and vote-registering devices, whereby the voting mechanism shall be reset and locked and the vote-registering mechanisms actuated as soon as the voter starts to leave the booth, and whereby the entire machine shall be held in locked condition until the next voter has shuthmself within the booth, and,vseventh, to provide means for locking the machine independent and regardless of the door-operated mechanism. XVe attain these objects by means of the construction and arrangement of parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which* Figure 1 represents a front elevation of the booth; Fig. 2, a plan View of thel booth and the cabinet which contains the voting machinery; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 4, a plan view of the top compartment of the cabinet, showing the locking and releasing levers; Fig. 5, a front elevation of the cabinet with parts of the voting-machine removed or in section; Fig. 6, a sectional view of the same on the line X X in Fig. 5, de and Figs. 7 and 8 details of various parts of the machine on an enlarged scale.

Similar numerals refer to like parts in the several views.

Referring iirst to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the numeral 1 represents the cabinet, in which are arranged the voting mechanisms and voteregistering devices. At the right of the cabinet projectsa closed panel 2. From thisprojects forward a similar closed panel 3. A 7o front open panel, comprising the two uprights, the top cross-bar, and the sill, as indicated by the numerals et, extends across from the panel 3 parallel with the front of the cabinet, and side bars b' 6 at the left cou- 75 ncct this front panel with the left side of the cabinet. The panel 2 and the side bars 6 are removably attached to the cabinet and the side bars 6 to the front panel by means of the bolts 7, .and the panels 2, 3, and 4- are hinged 8o together at 8 S, so as to be folded together in small compass when the booth is to be taken apart for storage. The left-hand side of the booth is closed between the bars 6 6 by the front door 19 of the cabinet l, which door is 85 swung out at rightangles when the booth is set up and locked to the side upright of the front panel 4f, as indicated in Fig. 3. In the front. or open panel i is a pivot-door 5, consisting` of asingle plane leaf, which door as 9o it swings around on the pivot-shafts lO 10 admits the voter to the booth, incloses him therein, and permits his egress in the manner now to be described. The upper pivotshaft 10 of this door passes through a shelf g5 9, which is fastened across the top of the front panel. A ratchet-wheel l1 is secured to this pivot-shaft where it projects through the shelf 9, and pawls 12 12 at each side of said ratchet-wheel allow the door to be turned roo in but one direction-that is, from left to right, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2.

At one side of the ratchet-Wheel is pivoted a lever 13, one end of which contacts with pins 14 14, which project from the periphery of the ratchet-wheel, above the teeth thereof, and the other end of which actuates a registering device 15, attached to the front of the booth, whereby at each half-revolution of the door 5 or as each voter leaves the booth the number of his vote is registered. When no voter is in the booth, the door 5 stands at right angles to the cabinet 1, as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 2, and when a voter enters the booth he pushes the door around until it stands across and closes the front panel, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2. In fact, the door will automatically assume this position when the voting mechanisms are released, and said voting mechanisms will be released only7 when the door is in this position. When the door stands open-that is to say, in the position indicated bythe broken lines-the entire face of the cabinet, with the party emblems and candidates names as displayed thereon, is disclosed, so that the manipulation of the various voting keys and levers may be explained to the voter before he enters the booth to cast his vote. As soon as a Voter starts to pass out from the booth and upon the slightest opening of the door the voting mechanisms will become locked, and as the ratchet-wheel 11 and pawls 12 prevent the swinging back of the door it will be impossible for the voter to rec'lose the door, so as to enable him to repeat his vote. 1n other words, as soon as he has started to leave the booth the door forces him to pass out and away from the voting-cabinet.

From a pin on the upper face of the ratchetwheel 11, at a suitable radius from the pivotshaft 10, a connecting-bar 16 runs to a swinging arm 17, located within an upper compartment of the cabinet 1, which sets in motion and actuates all the locking and releasing and vote-registering devices within the cabinet whenever the bar 16 is reciprocated by the revolution of the door 5. This upper compartmentof the cabinet is closed bya hingedlid 1.8, provided with a lock to prevent tampering with theinclosed mechanisms. As has already been stated, the front of the cabinet is provided with a door 19, by which the cabinet is closed and locked on that side when not in use, said door 19 being utilized when the machine is in use to form a side of the booth. The back of the cabinet is also provided with a door 20,whieh is to be kept locked at all times except when opened by the inspectors to read the vote as indicated by the vote-registering devices or to reset the several devices at the commencement of an election.

The swinging arm 17 is pivoted at 21 to a chair or plate attached to the bottom of this upper compartment of the cabinet, and a forked extension 22 rises from the right-hand side of this arm to connect it with the connecting-bar 16 and to allow for the insertion of the mechanism attached to the irregular oted at the rear at 29 to a standard project ing upward from the bottom of the compartA ment. From this lever 25 a lifting-bar 30 passes across at the back of the compartment to an arm 31 which is pivoted at 32 to another standard rising from the bottom of the compartment. To the forward end of this arm 31 is coupled a link 33, a similar link 33 be ing coupled to an arm 34, attached to the lifting-bar at the end near the lever 25. These two links 33 pass through the floor of this upper compartment and are coupled to the side bars 35 of the vertically-reciprocating frame which carries the vote-registering devices. This frame is composed of the two side bars 35 and the cross-bars 36, which extend across from side bar to side bar at the tog and bottomof the frame. Parallel links 37 and 39 are coupled between the side bars 35 at the top and bottom, respectively, and the standards 3S and 40, which project downward and upward from the top and bottom,respectivcly, of the main compartment of thecabinet. By reason of these parallel links 37 and 39 this frame is kept in a vertical position when raised and lowered by the links 33. A bar 4l, set parallel to the lever 25, runs from the lower extremity of the bar 27 to the standard 42 rising from the botto-m of the main compartment, (see Figs. 5 and 6,) in order that the bars 27 and 28 may also rise and fallin a vertical position when actuated by the lever.

Attached to the cross-bars 36 of the recipro- Qcating frame is a series of vertical channels 43, formed of sheet metal, each of said channels 43 being positioned directly behind one of the vertical series of voting mechanisms, and within these channels, directly behind each voting mechanism, is a vote-registering device comprising three counting-wheels 44, each wheel bearing the numerals from O to 9, inclusive, said wheels being actuated by ratchet-wheels 45 and actuating one another by intermediate connections in any well-known manner, and the rear walls of the channels 43 are provided with slots or openings through which the numbers on the counting-wheels are displayed at the back of the machine. The ratchet-wheels 45 are actuated by pawls 46, attached to the slides 47, which slides reciprocate forward and back in the guides 4S, said guides being attached in horizontal rows to plates 49,which run across and are secured to the front face of the cabinet. These horizontal plates 49 are provided on the outside with ticketholding devices, wherein may be inserted the cards having IOC IIO

printed thereon the names of the various candidates at each election. The guides 48 are formed of narrow strips of metal bent up at front and rear, these bent-up ends being provided with holes through which pass the keys or knobs 50, attached to the slides 47 lat the front, and the pins 51, attached to said slides at the rear. The slides 47 are also formed of lsimilar strips of meta-l bent into an angular S shape, as shown in Fig. 7. The guides 48 in each horizontal row are fastened to crossbars 54, which said bars hold the guides in rigid alinement and provide supports for the bifurcated lock-bars 53, which said lock-bars are actuated by upright pins 52 on the slides 47 to prevent the manipulation of the remaining slides iu a row after one has been pulled out, as will presently appear. Across the guides 48, behind the bars 54, pass the rockbars 58, which are hinged to the guides 48 at suitable intervals and are provided with pins which project through slots 56 in the slides 47. These rock-bars 55 are provided at their left-hand extremities with nger bars 57, which project forward and have their eX- tremities bentaround the pins 58, which project from the bar 27, the function of these rock-bars being to reset and lock the slides when the bar 27 is raised and to release said slides when said bar is dropped. Certain of these rock-bars 55 are provided with fingerbars 60, which engage pins 59 on the bar 28, for a purpose hereinafter to be described.

Positioned back of each vertical row of slides is a vertical oscillating bar G1, attached by arms 62 to the pivotrods 63, which are supported at the top and bottom by chairs 64. Theupperarm 62 on each of these pivotrods is provided with a right-angle extension G5, (see Figs. 6 and 7,) so as to form a bellcrank lever, and each of these bell-crank levers is actuated by a lever 6G, supported by a bracket 67 and projecting out from a slot in the upper face-plate 68 of the cabinet. Each vertical oscillating bar Gl is so positioned as to engage all of the pins 5l projecting fromavertical row of slides 47, and whenever one of these bars 6l is thrown forward by throwing one of the levers 6G to the left it will be evident that all the slides in that particular vertical series will be thrown outward. In other words, the votin g mechanisms will be set for voting a straight ticket.

At the front of the cabinet, projecting from the woodwork at each side, are two vertical plates 69, and intermediate these two is a third plate 70, all of metal. To the left-hand plate 69 and the plate 70 are attached by screws the plates 49, to which the horizontal rows or sections of voting mechanisms are attached, and these horizontal plates 49, with their attached mechanisms, may be placed in the machine in any number, according to the number of offices to be lilled at any given election, the cabinet being built high enough to allow for the insertion of 4enough of these horizontal rows or sections of mechanisms to answer any occasion that may arise.

In the upper portion of the main compartment of the cabinet, adjacent the bar 27, we locate a disk 71, actuated by the shaft 72, which projects outside of the cabinet and is bent down to form a lever, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. Projecting outwardly from the face of the disk 7l is a pin 73, which engages a cleat 74 attached to the side of the bar 27, and as the bar 27 is slotted at the upper end, where it is connected to the lever 25,the turning of the disk 7l will cause the pin 73, acting on the cleat 74, to raise the bar 27, thereby throwing back all the rock-bars 55, connected by the finger-bars 57 to said rod 27,and thereby locking the slides governed by said rock-bars and leaving operative only such slides as are governed by rock-bars actuated by the finger-bars G0 and the bar 28, which bar having no slot connection with the lever 25 will be actuated by said lever at each and every manipulation of the machine.

In case it is desired to lock all the voting mechanisms irrespective of the action of the swinging arm 17, or, in other words, independently of the door of the booth, we provide in the upper compartment a disk 75, acu tuated by a shaft 76, which shaft also passes outside the cabinet and is provided with an operating-lever, said disk 75 being provided with a pin 77, which engages the under side of the lever 25 and lifts said lever when the disk is given a quarter-turn, thereby throwing up both bars 27 and 28 and throwing back all the rock-bars 55. Instead ofthe disks 7l and 75 we may'use crank-arms to carry the pins 73 and 77.

For irregular voting we provide a vertical sheet of paper 78,which passes from the roller 79 around a backing-strip of wood 80, positioned between the plate and the right-hand plate 69,onto the drum lOl, the sheet of paper being exposed at the front of the cabinet through the vertical aperture between said plates 70 and 69 for-the voter to write or paste thereon the name of the person for whom he wishes to vote. In order that such name shall be written on this sheet of paper in its proper place relatively to the office for which the vote is cast, we provide a vertical series of hinged doors 8l, corresponding in width and position with the horizontal plates 49. These doors 8l are attached to hinges or pivotblocks 82, which turn on pins attached to the inside of plate 70, said hinges 82 projecting through slots in said plate, as shown in Fig. 5. The #under side ot' each hinge 82 is provided with a cam-recess S3, and the upper side is provided withan arm 84. In engagement with the cam-recess is a bellcrank lever 85, also pivoted on the inside of plate 70. This bell-crank lever engages one arm of a bifurcated lock-bar 8G in such manner that when the door 8l is thrown open said lock-bar will be thrown to the left, as

IOO

IIO

shown by broken lines in Fig. 8, thereby throwing all the lock-bars 53 in the corresponding row or section of voting mechanisms to the left and preventing the pulling out of any slide in that particular row. This locking action, however, will not be effective unless means be provided to hold the lock-bar 86 in its locking position after being thrown into such position by the opening of the door 81, as the closing of the door would otherwise release the lock-bar 86. This retaining` device for the lock-bar comprises a piu 87, depending from a spring-bar 88, which bar is attached to a bracket 89, carried by one of the guides 48. When thelock-bar 86 is thrown to the left, this pin 87 drops down and prevents the movement of the lock-bar to the right, thereby holding all the other lock-bars 53 in the row against motion. To release the lock-bar 86 when the mechanism is reset, the pin 91, projecting forward from the rock-bar 55, when said rock-bar is thrown backward, raises the spring-plate 88, thereby lifting the pin 87 above the lock-bar 86 and allowing the spring 90 to throw said lock-bar to the right. No door 81 can be opened, however, so as to register an irregular vote if one ofthe voting mechanisms under a regular ticket in that particular row or section has been actuated, since the lock-bar 80 will be prevented from movement to the left by the throwing over to the right of the adjacent lock-bar 53, as shown in Fig. 8, or by the pulling out of the pin 52 on the next adjacent slide 47. If the lockbar 86 is locked from motion, the door 81 cannot be swung open, as the bell-crank lever 85 will oppose such opening. In case an irregular vote has been cast and one of the doors 81 opened, the arm 84, projecting from the hinge 83 of that door, will throw the vertical oscillating bar 92 inward, thereby imparting motion through the arm 9i to the shaft 95,which passes upward to the upper compartment of the cabinet. The bar 92 is preferably made from a strip of angle-iron to insure the required stiffness between its upper and lower supporting-arms 94. Attached to the shaft 95 is an arm 96, connected bya link 97 to an arm 98, which latter arm is free to swing upon the top of the shaft 100, attached to the drum 101. A pawl attached to the under side of the arm 98 engages a ratchet-wheel 99, secured to the shaft 100, and when the bar 92 is pushed inward by the openingr of a door 81 this arm 98 and its pawl will be pushed around to the right in position to turn the drum 101 when the swinging arm 17 is actuated by the voter leaving the booth. This motion is imparted to the ratchet-wheel 91 from the swinging arm 17 through the oscillating arm 103, which is pivoted at the back of the upper compartment on a chair or other suitable support 10st and coupled by a link 102 to the arm 96 and thence through the link 97 to the arm 98, which actuates the ratchet-wheel 99. Motion is imparted to the arm 103 from the swinging arm 17, when said arm is moved forward orbackward, by a pin which rises from said swinging arm in engagement with a V-shaped slot 105 in the arm 103. Thus if one of the doors 81 has been opened and the oscillating bar 92 thereby thrown inward into the position shown by broken lines in Fig. 6 and by full lines in Fig. S, the arm 96, and with it the arm 98, will have been thrown to the right, thereby bringing the outer end of the slot in link 102 against the pin which projects thereinto from the extremity of the arm 103. Now if the connecting-bar is thrown forward or back by the rotation of door 5 the oscillating arm 103 will be thrown to the left by reason of the action of the pin on swinging arm 17 upon said oscillating arm through the medium of the slot 105. This movement of the arm 103 to the left will draw the arms 96 and 98 to the left, thereby imparting a corresponding motion to the shaft 95, so as to throw the oscillating bar 92 forward, thereby closing all the doors 81 that have been opened and at the same time imparting motion to the shaft 100 through the ratchet-wheel 99, so as to turn the drum 101 a sufficient amount to draw the names placed on the paper sheet 78 past the edge of the plate 09, so as to present a fresh writing-surface behind the doors 81 for the next voter. In oase no irregular vote is cast by the next voter these doors 81 will remain closed, and the oscillating bar 92 will therefore not be moved out of its forward position. The irregular-voting mechanism in the upper compartmentof the cabinet will therefore not have been moved from its normal position, as shown in Fig. 4, so that when the voter leaves the booth the motion imparted to the oscillating arm 103 by the swinging arm 17 will produce no effect upon the link 102, and no motion will be imparted to the paper sheet. In other words, this paper will only have motion imparted to it after an irregular vote has been cast.

As the irregular voting mechanisms are shown in Fig. 6 no provision is made for locking them out when the regular mechanisms are locked. In order to attain this end, we provide, in connection with each horizontal row or section of voting mechanisms, the device shown in Fig. 8, which comprises the arm 107, pivoted at one end to the bar 5-1 and at the other provided with a depending pin 108, in position to engage the right-hand arm of the bifurcated lock-bar 53, which stands next to the lock-bar 8G. A coupling-bar 109 runs from near the outer end of arm 107 to the rock-bar 55 in the manner shown, and it will be apparent that when the rock-bar is thrown backward it will draw the pin 108 against the lock-bar 53 in such manner as to throw said bar to the right and hold it there, (in the position assumed by it in Fig. 8,) thereby preventing mot-ion to the left in lockbar 80, and consequently preventing the opening of door 81. When the rock-bar 55 is thrown forward, the locksbar 53 will be rc- IOS IIO

leased from pin 10S and will have the required freedom ot' motio`n in either direction. As one of these irregular locking devices is provided for each horizontal section of voting 1nechanisms, the irregular-voting doors will all be locked at the same time with the regular-voting mechanisms, and when any section or sections of regular-voting mechanisms are left free for women voters the corresponding irregular-voting door or doors will also be free, all this being accomplished by the action of the rock-bars 55 either when the door ofthe booth is swung open or when one of the shafts 72 or 76 is turned. This simultaneous and correspondent locking of the regular and irregular voting mechanisms constitutes an important part of our present invention.

Having thus described the several parts of our improved machine, the operation thereof will now be briefly set forth.

Previous to an election the counting-wheels of the vote-registering mechanisms will be turned by the proper officials so as to display7 their zero-marks through the openings at the backs of the channels 43, and these channels and each registering device will be numbered or otherwise marked to correspond with the tickets displayed adjacent to the voting levers and keys at the front ot` the cabinet. rlhe door 20 is then locked and remains so locked until it is opened by the proper officials to count the vote at the close of the polls. The lid 18 at the top of the cabinet will also be closed and locked, and the booth having been set up with the door 5 coupled to the voting mechanisms in the manner shown in Figs. 1,2, and 3 the machine will he ready for the iirst voter. We have shown the machine set for a city election, the names of the candidates for the several parties being positioned in vertical columns underneath their party emblems. At the left of the cabinet and opposite each horizontal row or section ot' keys is inserted a card with the name displayed thereon of the ofiice for which the candidates in each said horizontal sections are running. As the voter enters the booth he pushes the door 5 around to its closed position, and in doing so swings the arm 17 into its central position, as shown in Fig. 4. The roller 26 on the lever 25 will then drop down between the double wedge surfaces on the lifting-carriage 23, the weight of the parts connected to said lever assisting this downward motion of the roller 26, and thereby assisting the arm 17 to assume its central position and causing the door 5 to set squarelyaeross the opening to the booth. The several votin g mechanisms are now released, ready for the manipulation of the voter. In ease he desires to vote a straight ticket he will push the lever G6 under his party emblem to the left. This motion of said lever throws the vertical oscillating bar G1, connected thereto, forward, and thereby pushes outward all the slides belonging to the candidates of the party he voted. The voter will then leave the booth, and in doing so turns the door 5 to the rightinto the position indicated by the broken lines. This turning of the door actuates the lever 13, so as to turn the counter 15, thereby indicating` that vote No. l has been cast. As soon as the door 5 begins to move the swinging arm i7 will be drawn forward by the connecting-bar 1G and the roller 2G will begin to ride up the forward wedge surface on the lifting-carriage 23, thereby causing the lever to litt the bars 27 and 28 and at the same time by way of the liftingbar 30 to elevate the frame containing the vote-registering devices. As the bars 27 and 28 are lifted they will impart motion, through pins 58 and 5t), to the finger-bars 57 and 60, connected with the rockbars 55, and the pins on these rock-bars ywill engage all the slides that have been thrown out and push them inward. rlhis inward motion of the slides, in conjunction with the elevation of the voteregistering devices, will bring the pawls 4G into contact with the ratchet-wheels 45 thereof, so as to turn said ratchet-wheels forward one tooth, and thereby register the vote for the candidates selected. In order to prevent the motion imparted to the ratchet-wheels 45 by this joint action et the slides and frame from carrying said ratchetewheels beyond the desired amount of turning, we provide the depending fingers 10G, which contact with the ratchet-wheels, as shown in Fig. 7, in such manner as to prevent the turning ot' said ratchet-wheels beyond the extent of one tooth. While there will be a slight forward motion ofthe frame due to the links 37 and 39, such motion is not essential and may be entirely eliminated by otherwise hanging or guiding` the frame. The essential movement of the frame is its elevation and depression to bring the ratchet-wheels of the registering devices into and ont of alinement with the pawls 46. The machine will now stand in this locked position until the next voter enters the booth and closes the door, when the swinging arm 17 will again assume its central position, as in Fig. 4, thereby dropping the arms 27 and 2S and the frame containing the vote-registering devices to the voting position shown in Fig. 7. lt this next voter does not desire to vote a straight ticket, he may pull out the keys opposite the names of the candidates for whom he desires to vote under any party or he may tirst throw the straight-ticket lever G6 under the party containing theY majority ot his vote, afterward pushing back the keys opposite the candidates under that party for whom he does not wish to vote and pulling out the keys opposite such candidates under the other parties for whom he does wish to vote. By an inspection of Fig. 7 it will be seen that this pushing in and out of the keys and th'e corresponding motion ot the slides will have no effect upon the vote-registering devices, inasmuch as the pawls 46 are made to travel in a horizontal position and cannot therefore drop down so as to engage IOO the teeth on the ratchet-wheels 95. As soon as one of the keys 50 has been pulled out the slide actuated thereby will assume the position shown in Figs. 7 and 8. This forward motion of the slide brings the pin 52 thereon between the arms of the adjacent bifurcated lock-bars 5.5, thereby throwing said lock-bars to the right and left and imparting` a corresponding motion to all the other lock-bars at the right and left in that horizontal section of voting mechanisms, and thereby preventing the pulling out of any other key in said section or the opening of the door 8l for an irregular vote. If, however, the slide is pushed back, the lock-bars will be released,

vand any other slide in that row may then be pulled out or the door Sl for an irregular vote may be opened. The machine as set shows three Constables to be voted for. If the voter desires to vote for John Brown and Richard Roe under the Republican ticket and John Smith under the Democratic ticket, John Browns and John Smiths names appearing in the same horizontal row he must by reason ofthe construction of the machine, as shown, place his vote for all three candidates in the irregular column, such being the law in the State of New York, when a machine is so arranged in order to prevent one candidate for constable from receivingtwo votes. Otherwise John Smith, for instance, might have one vote cast for him by actuating the regular mechanism where his name appears in the'Democratic column and a second vote cast for him at the same time by writing his name in the irregular column in one of the lower sections. (See Fig. 5.) Instead of writing the names on this paper sheet for an irregular vote, pasters maybe used, the voter being provided with a suitable paster by the candidate before he enters the booth and attaching this paster-slip bearing such candinates name to the paper in its proper place.

It will be clearly understood from an inspection of Fig. 8 that the opening of a door 8l in an irregular column will throw the lockbar 86 to the left, thereby imparting a corresponding motion to all the lock-bars 53 in that horizontal section and preventing the pulling out of any of the slides therein, and that the closing of the door 8l will not release these lock-bars,inasmnch as the pin 87 on the spring-bar 8S will have dropped down outside of the lock-bar 86, thereby holding it in locking position until the spring-bar SS has been lifted by the resetting mechanism.

When a straight -ticket lever has been thrown and it is desired to push back one of the slides in that column, the inward motion of this slide will throw inward the oscillating bar 6l of the straight-ticket mechanism withont affecting the other slides in the column. As these oscillating bars swingeasily, little power is required to thus push them backward by pressing in the slides.

If a woman is to be admitted to vote for certain oiiicers, as for school-commissioners,

before she enters the booth one of the inspectors will give a quarter-turn to the shaft 72 by means of the handle projecting from the side of the cabinet, (see Figs. 3 and 5,) thereby lifting the bar 27 and locking all of the slides and doors except those controlled by the rock-bars 55, which are connected to the bar 2S. The lower rock-bar 55 in Fig. 5 is shown connected by the tinger-bar GO to the pin 5) of the bar 28 for this purpose. A woman is thus enabled to vote for any of the regular candidates for such offices or to cast her vote for an nnnominated person in the irregular column.

if the shaft 76 be manipulated to throw the pin 77 up under the lever 25, both bars 27 and 2S will be raised and all the mechanisms, both inthe regularand irregularcolumns,will be locked, and the turning of the door 5, and the consequent throwing forward and backward of the arm l7,will have no effect thereon.

As each voter leaves the booth the number of his vote is recorded bythe registering device l5,displayed at the front of the booth. After the polls are closed the door at the rear of the cabinet is opened and the number of votes cast for each candidate is read off and recorded from the vote-registering devices, the irregular votes being taken from the sheet of paper 7S, which for this purpose is removed from the drum lOl, the names thereon appearing in horizontal rows corresponding with the offices to be filled, and the total uumber of votes for each office should tally with the total number of votes cast as recorded by the registering device 15.

lVhile we have shown the machine arranged for a municipal orcit)7 election, it will be readily understood that by adding the requisite number of horizontal sections of voting mechanisms the machine may readily be adapted for any election, whether national or local,

the cabinet being made of sufficient height to take in the necessary mechanisms.

iVhere questions are to be voted for or against,similar voting mechanisms, with their vote-registering devices, will be located below the regular-ticket columns, the slides -Lt7 being arranged in pairs with a lock-bar 53 between, so that when one slide is set for or against a question the other will be locked. In this case the voting mechanisms will have the pins 5l so positioned that they shall not be actuated by the oscillating bars Gl when a regular-ticket lever is thrown.

While we have described our arrangement for group-voting-that is, where two or more Constables or other officers of the same kind are to be voted for--as comprising the use of the irregular-voting mechanisms when two or more names of candidates for whom a voter desires to cast his vote appear in the same horizontal row or section, we do not confine ourselves to this particular arrangement, since the interlocking devices between the regular -voting mechanisms may be so arranged that two or more mechanisms in the IOO IIO

same horizontal column may be actuated for this group-voting without resort to the irregular column; but such arrangementof the interlocking devices does not form part'of our present invention and is therefore not described herein.

Having thus described our improvements, what we claim as ourinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a voting-machine, the combination, with a cabinet containing the voting machinery, of a booth, the entrance to which is controlled by a pivot-door consisting of a single plane leaf, and a connection between said door and the locking and resetting devices within the cabinet whereby the voting machinery is reset and locked during each halfrevolution of the door, and whereby the face of the machine is exposed when the door stands open.

2. In a voting-machine, the combination, with a cabinet containing the voting machinery, of a booth, the entrance to which is controlled by a pivot-door consisting of a single plane leaf, said door being revoluble in one direction only, and a connection between said door and the locking and resetting devices within the cabinet whereby the voting machinery is reset and locked during each halfrevolution of the door and released only when the door stands across the entrance to the booth, and whereby the face of the machine is exposed when the door stands open.

3. In a voting-machine, the combination, with a cabinet containing the voting machinery, of a booth, a pivot-door controlling the entrance to the booth, said door consist-ing of a single plane leaf standing parallel with the face of the machine when closed and exposing the face of the machine when open, a ratchet-wheel on the pivot-shaft of said door, a pawl engaging said ratchet-wheel to limit rotation to one direction and a connectingbar running from an eccentric-pin on the ratchet-wheel to the locking and resetting devices within the cabinet, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a voting-machine, the combination, with a plurality of voting mechanisms and vote-registering devices, of a system of resetting and locking devices, a lever connected with and actuating said system, a bearingroller projecting` from said lever, a liftingcarriage provided with a double cam-surface engaged by said roller, a swinging arm having said carriage attached thereto at one end, a booth, a pivot-door closing the entrance to said booth and a connecting-bar between said door and the swinging arm whereby said arm is thrown forward or backward at each halfrevolution of the door as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a voting-machine, the combination, with a plurality of vote-registering devices and corresponding voting mechanisms which are free to be moved into and out of coperative relation therewith, of a vertically-reciprocating frame carrying the vote-registering devices, a system of resetting and locking devices for the voting mechanisms, and means for imparting correlative motion to said system and said frame before and after the casting of a vote, as and for the purpose set forth.

G. In a voting-machine, the combination, with a plurality of vote-registering devices and corresponding voting mechanisms which are free to be moved into and out of coperative relation therewith, of a vertically-reciprocating frame carrying the vote-registering devices, a system of resetting and locking devices for the voting mechanisms, a lever coupled to said system and to said frame to actuate them simultaneously, a bearingroller projecting from said lever, a liftingcarriage provided with a double cam-surface engaged by said roller, a swinging arm having said carriage attached thereto at one end, a booth, a pivot-door closing the entrance t0 said booth, and a connecting-bar between said door and the swinging arm whereby correlative motion is imparted to said system and frame during each half-revolution of the door.

7. In a voting-machine, the combination, with a plurality of voting mechanisms and vote-registering devices, of a vertical frame carrying the latter, guiding means for retaining said frame in a vertical position, and means for raising and lowering said frame, whereby the registering devices are brought inio cooperative relation with the voting mechanisms substantially as set forth.

8. In a voting-machine, the combination with a plurality of voting mechanisms and vote-registering devices, of a vertical frame carrying the latter, guiding means for retaining said frame in a vertical position, and means for moving said frame bodily relative to the voting mechanisms, whereby the registering devices are brought into coperative relation with the voting mechanisms.

9. In a voting-machine, the combination with a plurality of voting mechanisms and vote-registering devices, of a frame carrying the latter, guiding means for retaining said frame in a plane parallel to the voting mechanisms, and means for moving said frame bodily relative to the voting mechanisms whereby the registering devices are brought into cooperative relation with the voting mechanisms so that they can be subsequently operated thereby.

l0. In a voting-machine, the combination, with a plurality of voting mechanisms and vote-registering devices, of a vertical frame carrying the latter, a lifting-bar coupled to said frame at the top, parallel links coupled to the frame at the top and bottom to retain said frame forward in a vertical position when raised or lowered by the liftingbar, and means for imparting motion to said liftingbar.

1l. In a voting-machine, the combination of a plurality of voting mechanisms and cor- IOO IIO

responding vote-registering devices for regular voting arranged in rows or sections, each voting mechanism consisting of a slide adapted to cooperate with a registering device, bifurcated lock-bars pivoted between the slides in each section, a projection on each slide positioned to throw the lock-bars at both sides thereof in front of the projections on all the other slides in the same section when any slide is actuated, a hinged door at one end of each section covering an aperture for irregular voting, a lock-bar pivoted between said door and the next adjacent slide, means for actuating said lock-bar when the door is opened to throw the other lock-bars in the section, and resetting and locking devices for the several doors and slides.

l2. In a voting-machine, the combination of a plurality of voting mechanisms and corresponding vote-registering devices arranged in rows or sections, said mechanisms in each section comprising a plurality of slides each adapted to cooperate with a registering device, interlocking devices between the slides, a rock-bar for each section provided with pins in engagement with slots in the slides and means for tilting said rock-bars to reset and lock or to release the slides.

13. In a voting-machine, the combination of a plurality of voting mechanisms and corresponding vote-registering devices arranged in rows or sections, said mechanisms in each section comprising a plurality ot slides each adapted to coperate with a registering device, interlocking devices between the slides, a rock-bar for each section provided with pins in engagement with slots in the slides, a iinger-bar projecting from each ot the rockbars, a reciprocating bar coupled to the several finger-bars, and means for imparting motion to said reciprocating bar.

14;. In a voting-machine, the combination of a plurality of voting mechanisms and corresponding vote-registering devices arranged in rows or sections, said mechanisms in each section comprising a plurality of slides each adapted to cooperate with a registering device, interlocking devices between the slides, a rock-bar for each section provided with pins in engagement with slots in the slides, a iinger-bar projecting from each of the rock-bars, two reciprocating bars, one of said bars being coupled to certain of the linger-bars, and the other to the remaining finger-bars, means for imparting simultaneous motion to said reciprocating bars, and means for holding one of said bars stationary while the other is mobile, as and for the purpose set forth.

15. In a voting-machine1 the combination of a plurality ot' Voting mechanisms and corresponding vote-registering devices arranged in rows or sections, said mechanisms ineach section comprising a plurality of slides, hori- Zontal guides for said slides, keys projecting outwardly from each slide for the manipulation thereof, pawls projecting rearwardly in alinement with the registering devices, and

eerste means for imparting a simultaneous and correlative motion to those slides which have been drawn out and the registering devices when a vote is cast substantially in the inanner described.

1G. In a voting-machine, the combination of a plurality of voting mechanisms and corresponding vote registering devices, each mechanism compning an S-shaped slide, a guide for the slide having its ends turned upward, a key projecting from the slide through the guide at the forward end and a pin projecting from the slide through the guide at the rear, a pawl projecting from the slide rearwardlyin cooperative engagement with a registering device, said slides and their guides being arranged in horizontal rows with interlocking devices between the slides, resetting and locking devices for the slides, and means for lifting the registering devices simultaneously with the action ot' the said resetting and locking devices.

17. In a voting-machine, the combination, with a plurality of voting mechanisms and corresponding vote-registering devices arranged in columns, of an oscillating bar in alinement with each column of mechanisms, an abutment from each mechanism in a column in line with said bar, rock-shafts to which said bars are attached, and levers at the heads of said columns coupled to the rock-shafts and projecting out from the face of the machine, whercbyanyone of said bars may be thrown against the abutments in its column to set the mechanisms therein in position for voting a straight ticket.

1S. In a voting-machine, the combination, with a plurality of voting mechanisms and corresponding vote-registering devices arranged in horizontal and vertical rows, of interlocking devices between the voting mechanisms in each horizontal row, a vertical 0S- cillating bar in alinement with the mechanisms in each vertical row, abutments from the mechanisms in line with the oscillating bars, rock-shafts to which said oscillating bars are attached, an arm at the head of each rockshaft, and a lever for operating each rockshaft having one end coupled to said arm and the other projecting out from the face of the machine as and for the purpose set forth.

19. In a voting-machine, adevice forirregular voting comprising an aperture in the face of the machine, a web of paper passingfrom a roller across said aperture onto a receivingdrum, a ratchet-wheel on the shaft of said drum, an arm carrying a pawl loosely mounted thereon, a plurality ot' hinged doors covering said aperture, arms projecting from the hinges, a vertical oscillating bar in position to be thrown inward by any ot' said arms when a door is opened, an arm projecting from the pi vot-shaft of said oscillating bar, a link coupling said arm with the arm on the ratchetwheel, an oscillating arm provided with a V- shaped groove, a swinging arm having a pin in engagement with said groove, a pin on the IOO IIO

IIS

extremity of said oscillating arm, a slotted link running from said pin to the arm of the pivot-shaft of the vertical oscillating bar, and means for imparting motion to the swinging arm after a vote has been cast, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

20. In a voting-machine, a device for irregular Voting comprising an aperture in the face of the machine, a web of paper passing from a roller across said aperture onto a receivingdrum, a ratchet-wheel on the shaft of said drum, an arm carrying a pawl loosely mounted thereon, a closure for said aperture, means for turning said arm and pawl upon the ratchet-wheel when said closure is opened and means for imparting motion to the drum through said arm and for returning. said closure to place after an irregular vote has been cast.

2l. In a Voting-machine, a device for irregular voting comprisingr an aperture in the face of the machine, a web of paper passing from a roller across said aperture onto a receivingdruln, a ratchet-wheel on the shaft of said drum, an arm carrying a pawl loosely mounted thereon, a hinged door covering said aperture, mechanism actuated by said door When opened to turn said arm and pawl upon the ratchet-wheel and means for transmitting motion to said arm to rotate the drum simultaneously with the return of said mechanism to normal position whereby the web of paper is moved across said aperture and the door is closed after an irregular vote has been cast. In testimony whereof We have aiixed our signatures inpresence of two witnessesa DANIEL DAVIS. ETNA H. DAVIS.

Witnesses:

M. L. FROST, C. TRACEY STAGG. 

